32430 - Advanced Work Psychology, Psychology and Quality of Working Life

Learning outcomes

At the end of this course the student:
- will know the main explanatory theories (i.e. activity theory, motivation theory, stress, burn-out and engagement, quality of work theories, etc.) in the field of Work Psychology;
- will be able to define the main goals and methods of professional intervention on working conditions and their psychosocial effects, on quality of working life, on personal and organizational strategies to cope and to prevent psycosocial risks at work

Course contents

This course ( 8 ECTS) is functionally composed of two parts (each of 4 ECTS)
First Part: Advanced Work Psychology (Dina Guglielmi)
Second Part: Psychology and qualità of working life (Dina Gugliemi)

FIRST PART Objectives
The purpose of this course is to provide a solid understanding of the theory, research and practice in Work psychology. The key objectives are to allow students to: 1) understand and utilize main concepts useful to study behaviour at work from a psychosocial perspective 2) understand and to discuss critically the topics which have been selected as important components of workplace psychology.

SECOND PART Objectives

The main topic is to analyze and to investigate the theoretical assumptions  and constructs related to quality of working life and individual and organizational consequences. The main didactic objectives are to acquire the essential knowledge: a) to analyze and to evaluate work conditions and work stressors; b) to analyze and to evaluate the consequences of such work conditions .

FIRST PART Contents/Subjects:
1.Main psychological theories and research areas in Psychology of work
2. Changes in the workplace and psychosocial effects.
3. Work values and the meaning of working in the individual's life
4 Work activity: processes in goal-directed action, performance adaptation and outcomes.
5. Motivation, emotions and work.

6. Counterproductive behaviors

SECOND PART Contents/Subjects:

The contents are arranged in two categories:
a) Quality of working life: assumptions and theories
- Psychosocial risks factors and health.

- Work stress and coping.  Theories, evaluations tools and research results.

- Work-family balance. Study on the antecedents and the organizational policies.
 b) Quality of working life: individual and organizational consequences.
- Burnout e engagement. Theoretical models and measure tools.
- Mobbing. Theoretical approaches and guidelines of intervention.

Readings/Bibliography

FIRST PART Recommended reading
Teaching materials and exam's readings for students who regularly attend classes:
- Sarchielli G. Fraccaroli F.(2010). Introduzione alla Psicologia del lavoro, Bologna, Il Mulino (only as reference book);

During the curse articles and materials will be distributed in order to prepare the assignements. For examples:
- Brief A.P. & Weiss H.M (2002) Organizational behaviour: affect in the workplace, Annual Review of Psychology, 53, 279-307 (pp. 279-300)
- Sonnentag, S. & Frese, M. (2002). Performance concepts and performance theory. In S. Sonnentag (Ed.), Psychological management of individual performance: A handbook in the psychology of management in organizations (pp. 3-25). : JohnWiley.
For students who do not regularly attend classes
Students have to read and carefully know the previous texts and the following two books:
- Sarchielli G. Fraccaroli F.(2010). Introduzione alla Psicologia del lavoro, Bologna, Il Mulino.

SECOND PART Recommended reading
Teaching materials and exam's readings for students who regularly attend classes
Students have to study didactic material and powerpoints presented during the lessons (download from moodle platform) and the following texts:
1) Fraccaroli F., Balducci C. (2011) Stress e rischi psicosociali nelle organizzazioni. Il Mulino, Bologna.

2) Borgogni, L., Consiglio, C. (2005). Job burnout: evoluzione di un costrutto. Giornale Italiano di Psicologia, a. XXXII, 1, 23-60.

For students who do not regularly attend classes:
They have to study the two preceding texts and this one:
Eby L., Casper W., Lockwood A., Bordeaux C., Brinley A. (2005). Work and family research in IO/OB: Content analysis and review of the literature (1980–2002), Journal of Vocational Behavior 66, 124–197.

Teaching methods

(FIRST & SECOND PART)
Didactic methods that will be used to improve knowledge are: lecture & questions, group work assignments and exercises, small group discussion, student oral presentation, student paper. and student reading.
The different learning activities will be documented by the students through their personal Portfolio (this didactic tool will be presented at the beginning of the course)

Warning and Regulations for effective didactical activities (FIRST & SECOND PART)
1) Teaching activity attendance is substantially mandatory and it will be daily checked: the exams will consider contents and materials from the reading lectures and classroom discussions and home activities and then it is a student's advantage to attend class.
2) Students with serious difficulties to attend classes will have a special study program and examination.
3) Students are encouraged to actively contribute to the class, to regularly carry on assignments (in time) and they will be responsible for all announcements made in class or communicated in the teacher's web page (this include changes of the syllabus or of the planned activities).
4) Students are expected to follow correct behaviours in line with ethic and deontology principles of the profession. Then illicit behaviours have to be avoided (like as plagiarism or falsification or invention of any information) and social conduct rules have to be respected (for example, it is requested to arrive at lecture and section sessions on time, to avoid early leaving from the class, to avoid unscheduled office visits, to use private e-mail address, to send redundant and useless e-mail to the professors, to drink and eat during lessons, to use mobile, etc.)

Assessment methods

FIRST PART
A) For students who regularly attend classes the exam is based on the evaluation of the products prepared during the course (respecting the deadlines) and finally collected in the Portfolio. These products are: “2 page Reaction paper”; “2 page Describe a theory paper”; “1 Powerpoint group presentation”; “Portfolio contents and organization”. Special instructions about products and their value for the final examination and mark will be done at the beginning of the course.

SECOND PART

A) For students who regularly attend classes many activities and tests are previewed during the course. These activities will carry on to the definitive evaluation and will be inserted in the portfolio (which constitutes specific source of evaluation): 1 Group paper, 1 Power point presentation, 1 Group presentation, 1Case study

B) For students who do not regularly attend classes final exam will be as follows (with readings and study program adapted for these student as in the previous section "Recommended reading"):
- A 15 pages Final paper prepared at home and given to the teacher one week before the date chosen for the written exam. This paper will be of an integrative nature by considering two or more topics chosen from the list of contents of the course.
- An In-class exam (single test in the same day about I and II part) students have to answer to 6 open questions (lenght of exam 1 hour and thirty) about the subjects of the I and II part of the course (see Recommended readings for the two part of the course)

Teaching tools

(FIRST AND SECOND PART)

- Powerpoint, hand-pencil instruments
- Teaching material  will be downloaded from teacher's web page
- Moodle platform (didactic material repository, collective communication, forum, etc.)

Office hours

See the website of Dina Guglielmi